Loaf catcher for bread-wrapping machines



May 8, 1923.

1,4542 79 J. R. HAYES Y LOAF CATGHER FOR BREAD WRAPPING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 1, 1921 May 8, 1923. 1,454,279

J. R. HAYES LOAF CATCHER FOR BREAD WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Dec. 1, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 8, i923.

JAMES B. HAYES, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN.

' roar CATCVI'IER roa BREAD-WRAPPING iii-noninns." i

. Application filed December 1, 1921'. Serial No. 519,186,"

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES R. Ennis, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loaf Catchers for of the same so that the continuity of action was interrupted and the loaf frequently seriously damaged. It is the object of my invention to provide an improved mecha nism whereby the parts which'support the i loaf will be out of the path of the same until the loaf has reached the limit of its upward movement, whereupon the pressure of' the loaf upon upper clamping plates will cause the supports to swing under the loaf and at the' same time form the side folds in the wrapper. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings---- Figure 1 is an end elevation of my img proved loaf catcher showingthe parts in the position assumed when the loaf is being fed between the supporting members; I Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the loaf in supported position;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one of the supporting heads or catcher;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the same; Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line i 5 -5 of Fig.4.

The loaf catcher is suspended from a suitable framework which comprises bars 1 slidably mounted upon the frame of the bread-wrapping machine and actuated by pitmen 2 which are operatively connected with the maindriving shaft of the wrapping machine. Brackets or hangers 3 depend from the suspending frame and to the lower ends of these brackets, I secure the loafcatching and holding deviceswhich constitute the subject-matter of my invention. At

the lower end of each bracket 3 is a bearing of the rod projecting-through the bearings furnished by the respective arms and being j secured in lugs 6 on the back of the lower. plate 7. The bearing arms 4 may be integral with the respective hangers 3 and, between the arms, the lower ends of the hangers are 5 connected by a plate 30 whereby they are necting plate, a keeper or-retaining plate 31 is 'removably secured by a; set'bolt 32,1the

held in fixed spaced relation, Upon this conlower end of said keeper being disposed immediately over the rod 5'." As shown most I clearly in Fig. 5, the lower ends of the bear ing arms are in the form of hooks in which the rod; 5 is seated, the keeper'plate' 31'normallypreventing the rod rising out of the --.'-;-.i' I

hooks. Should it; be desired to change the working members of the loaf-catcher, as when small loaves are to be wrapped, the

keeper 31 is removed, after'which'thelrod 5 may be lifted from the arms spin an obvious 1;;Y

manner.

At the ends of the'plate 7 and corners of the same, lugs or arms 8 project at ratoutwardly therefrom 'andin' the said'ulugs'are received theends of the rocking bar 9'. Be 7 tweenthe lugs Sand adjacent the respective lugs, rocker arms 10 are secured to the rocki ing bar 9 andQth'e' endsfof" these r'ocker' arms are extended'inwardlyeas clearly shown' at 11 and 12 respectivlelvf. To the upper extremities'll of the rocker arms,lisecure the upper pressure. plat-e513 so that pressure exerted upon the face of the said plate will force the same outwardly andirock thearnis lOso that the lower *extremities'hz thereof will be carried inwardlyand:willprojectbeyond the plate 7 as clearlyshowniii-Fig. :5. 3 Mounted in the'lower extremities 1201'? the rocker armsfor relative rotation: is'aroller 14 which, whenthe-parts are in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 5,'w ill .pr'ojectiun'der the loaf, indicated at 15 and supporti the same, it, being readily noted from.-'Figs.fi .1

duplicate and act u 'vonftheopposite sides of the loaf. The lower'terminals "19 of' the rocker armsar'e held normally i'n the posi tions shown in 1 so. that the rollers. will be out'of the "path'of the: rising loaf,

bar 9, as shownat17,-and their e nds secujred I j 110 respectively to the adjacentrocker arm ajnd the plate 7 below the rocker bar 9. The force I of the spring is, therefore, constantly. ex-

and 2- that these supportsare provided in erted to hold the rocker arm in the position shown in F 1 with the upper plate 13 projecting into the path of the loaf and the roller 14 disposed outwardly relative to the plate 7. The plates 7 and 13 are preferably provided with ribs 18 upon their working faces which are adapted to slightly indent the loaf and thereby aid in supporting the same.

I In the particular bread-wrapping machine to which my invention has been applied, the loaf 15 is raised by an elevator, indicated conventionally at 19, so as to pass between co-operating loafcatching and holding devices. A wrapping sheet 20 is placed over the loaf as it raised by the elevator and, as the loaf passes between the plates 7 of the leaf catchers, the side portions of the wrappers will be folded close against the sides of the loaf in an obvious manner. Upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be readily noted that, as the loaf moves upwardly, the upp r side corners thereof will impinge against the inwardly projecting upper plates 13 and will force them outwardly, the result being that the rocker arms are swung about their pivotal supports and the lower ends of said arms, carrying the rollers 14, are forced inwardly under the loaf. The rollers being out of the path of the rising loaf, of course, offer no obstruction to its progress and choking of the operation is, therefore, avoided. lhe parts are so timed that just as the rollers swing under th lower longitudinal edges or corners of the loaf, the elevator 19 will begin its descent so that the side portions of the wrapper will befolded under the loaf, as will'be readily understood. About the time that the side portions of the wrapper are folded under the loaf, the pitman or pitmen 2 are actuated by the main driving mechanism to move the sliding bars 1 in their bearings and cause the sustaining frame'to travel to the point where the end folds of the wrapper are made. When the end-folding mechanism begins to act upon the wrapper, the loaf is moved out from between the plates 7 and the catchers are returned to their initial positions to receive and support another loaf.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple and efficient mechanism whereby baked loaves will be supported while the initial folds of a wrapper are produced and may be transferred without loss to mechanism for producing end folds in the wrapper and sealing the same. My mechanism is positive and certain in its action and is composed of few parts which are simple in their construction and arrangement so that they are not liable to get out of order and they may be readily applied to any wrapping machine in which the article to be wrappedis carried into position between two mating co-operating mechanisms.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. Means for the purpose set forth com prising relatively stationary plates to en gage the opposite sides of a loaf, rocker arms carried by said plates, presser plates carried by the upper ends of said rocker arms and disposed normally in the path of the leaf, and loaf supports carried by the lower ends of the rocker arms and disposed normally out of the path of the loaf.

2. Means for the purpose set forth comprising a pair of cooperating relatively sta tionary plates adapted to engage the opposite sides of a loaf, means carried by said plates and disposed below the same to support a loaf, said means being normally out of the path of the loaf, and means carried by said plates and disposed above the same adapted to receive pressure from the loaf whereby to project the supporting means under the loaf.

3. Means for the purpose set forth comprising a pair of co-operating mating relatively stationary plates adapted to engage the opposite sides of a loaf, rocker arms mounted upon the outer sides of said plates and having their terminals projected inwardly above and below the plates, pressure plates carried by the upper terminals of said rocker arms and normally disposed over the upper edges of the relatively stationary plates and in the path of a loaf fed between said plates. supporting rollers carried by the lower terminals of the rocker arms and adapted to be projected under the loaf when the pressure plates are engaged by the loaf, and springs coiled around the fulcrums of the rocker arms and having their ends secured respectively to the rocker arms and the relatively stationary plates whereby to hold the pressure plates normally in the path of the loaf and the supporting rollers normally out of said path.

4. Means for the purpose set forth comprising hangers, bearing hooks carried by said hangers, a supporting rod engaged in said hooks, removable means for retaining the rod in the hooks, a clamping plate carried by said rod, a rocker mounted on said plate, rocker arms secured to said rocker and projecting above and below the clamping plate, a pressure plate carried by the upper ends of the rockerarms, and a loaf support carried by the lower ends of said arms.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES R. HAYES. 1 s] 

